After Life
by lucky7steph
Summary: She wakes up with no memory, in a park, clothes bloodied, yet unharmed. Can Ciel and Sebastian help uncover the mystery behind this girl's past while at the same time, solving a new string of murders around London?
1. Author's Note and Prologue

Author's Note

Hello readers! Thank you for taking the time to check out my story. It's yet another OC insert into the world of Black Butler so if you like reading that sort of thing, this is for you!

As of now, the entire story (14 chapters) is complete, but I will publish one chapter a day. I also have a short prequel written and I am currently working on the sequel. If anyone likes this story enough, perhaps I will publish the rest.

There isn't really a set pairing, but I'm trying to include all of the main characters in the three stories. So if there's someone you want to see, let me know and maybe I'll write them into the sequel!

Thank you, feel free to review – although keep in mind this is just for fun, and enjoy!

~lucky7steph

_Prologue_

Complete darkness… and emptiness.

A void, filled with no emotions, perception, or thoughts.

There was no past, present, or future. No memories.

Nothing.


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

She could hear the soft rain all around her, caressing her cheeks and soaking into every part of her clothing. The sensation was soothing, and calmed the young woman who was currently lying beneath a tree. A large seemingly dead tree, to be more specific, devoid of all of its leaves. She could barely lift her head, but she gathered that she was in some sort of park. A small one, set in the outskirts of the city – London, to be exact. The problem was, she had no idea what she was doing there, covered in blood, resting on a bed of rain soaked grass under a meager looking tree. What shocked her more, were the two faces staring down at her.

One belonged to a very tall figure, the girl guessed to be about six feet, who was dressed in formal butler's attire. He was currently holding an umbrella with a perplexed sort of look on his face. The smaller of the two was wearing a long black coat, but from the clothes peeking out underneath, the girl could tell that his regal attire suggested his high ranking status. He also wore an eye patch over his right eye, which was partially hidden with a fringe of bangs. His expression radiated anger, but underneath was a questioning look.

The girl was overwhelmed, waking up to see two complete strangers staring down at her, not knowing if they were there to do her harm.

"Uh, um… excuse me, but, who are you?" she hesitantly asked, eyes darting between the two.

The smaller one spoke first, "I am Ciel Phantomhive, and I think I should be asking you the same question," he countered, arms folded to complete his surly demeanor.

The woman felt strangely intimidated by this boy, of whom she guessed to be hardly older than thirteen.

"Well?" he demanded with an obvious hint of impatience.

She furrowed her brows and simply stated, "I don't know. I can't remember anything."

Ciel glanced at his butler who attempted to remedy the situation, "Well miss, at least let me help you up off of the ground," he said, extending a white gloved hand to her.

She took it and pulled herself up, only to see the extreme state that she was in.

Her outfit actually seemed pretty formal itself, yet was not typical of a lady living in 19th century England to be wearing. She wore a white blouse underneath a dark black type of suit jacket, which stopped at her hips in the front, but trailed off longer in the back, giving a trench coat appearance. She wore charcoal grey shorts paired with black boots over knee high socks adorned with small green bows, to match the larger one around her neck. Her brunette hair remained tied up, somewhat messily, with a green ribbon. As her own black-gloved hand grabbed the butler's gloved hand, the long sleeves of her white blouse peeked out underneath the jacket sleeves. She felt comfortable in these clothes, but had to admit they were rather odd. She couldn't discern anything about herself from them, let alone her occupation, although she found a pair of rectangular shaped glasses in her coat pocket. The most surprising part was the lack of pain that she was feeling. With all of this blood on her, shouldn't she be screaming in pain?

Her attention was drawn back to her new companions. The pair sure seemed odd, but she couldn't imagine their own shock at finding an amnesiac bloody girl lying on the grass. As she stood up fully, she let go of the butler's hand, bowing a little bit, "Thank you…sir?" she trailed, not yet hearing the man's name.

"Sebastian Michaelis, my lady, butler of the Phantomhive household," he said, crossing a single gloved hand over his chest and giving a bow of his own.

Ciel's voice broke the formality as he confirmed, "So you have no recollection of your life before now?" he questioned.

"Not at all. The only thing I'm sure of is my first name," she replied confidently.

"It's Stephanie."


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Ciel and Sebastian seemed indifferent to say the least. The young earl continued as if nothing remotely confusing had just transpired in the last few minutes. In fact, he composed himself quite well, having been used to strange occurrences such as this.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Stephanie, but due to your memory loss, I would assume that questioning you about your whereabouts prior to this would be useless," he sighed, closing his eyes.

"Excuse me Miss, but what my master is referring to is an investigation into the disappearance of a prominent young actress, maybe you've heard of her? Her name is Emily Jameson, and she's been quite popular within the theater scene. Do you know of any information that would be of help?" he finished, staring down Stephanie with his deep red orbs.

She couldn't help but become transfixed by his eyes and felt strangely comforted by them, despite their emptiness.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I don't think I can be of assistance to you. I don't remember anything," she responded flatly.

Ciel had become obviously irritated as he pulled Sebastian around by the elbow, exclaiming harshly, "What do you think you're doing!? She already told us she doesn't remember a thing! Let's just forget about it! She's not going to help us with the Jameson case!"

The butler sighed and bent down to whisper in his young master's ear, "Yes, she did in fact tell us that she has lost her memories, but that doesn't mean that she was telling the truth," he smirked, winking at the young boy.

"So what exactly do you have in mind?" he questioned, not particularly understanding where Sebastian was going with this plan.

"If you'd allow it, I would like to further investigate the girl myself. There's just something that I can't put a finger on about her," he trailed, seeming genuinely curious about the girl.

The pair turned around again to face Stephanie, who had been quietly standing still, examining her blatantly torn blouse, covered with blood.

"Well Miss, it seems that you may be in need of assistance yourself. My master would like to offer you a place to stay, if you-"

"Sebastian! What are you mmph-!" Ciel exclaimed before a white glove muffled his words.

"Please excuse my master's outburst. He is frustrated with the current case. We'd be happy to provide you housing and any help you may require with the task of reclaiming your lost memories," he smiled.

"I will also attend to your wounds, as you appear to be quite injured," he said, eyeing the large bloodstain.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to trouble you both, you've been so kind already. I don't have anything to give you, but I would be very grateful for your hospitality."

"Well then, it's settled," replied the butler, "the carriage is this way, if you please Miss," he said, while gesturing to the carriage stationed at the edge of the park.

Sebastian pushed a grumbling Ciel into the carriage and helped Stephanie up the steps as well.

He assumed the position at the driver's seat in front, and urged the horses in the direction of Phantomhive manor.

Sebastian couldn't help but remain suspicious of the girl. He knew there was something odd about her, that much was evident from the mark on her neck.

_~- Flashback – Ciel and Sebastian -~_

"My lord, I believe this park was where Emily Jameson was reported to have last been before she disappeared. Some of her theater colleagues claimed that she went for a walk here alone after each performance. I must agree, it provides quite a bit of solitude," Sebastian stated with expert research as always.

Ciel, acting ever unimpressed sighed, "Let's just get on with it Sebastian and see if there are any clues here. I don't much like being out this late in the rain and-"

He stopped mid sentence when Sebastian's arm shot out to stop him in his tracks. If the butler hadn't intervened, he might have just stepped on the young woman lying on the ground in front of him.

The girl was soaked from the rain, but the obvious bloodstain marking the front of her clothes suggested a grim fate. Another odd thing about her was her attire. It was hardly ladylike, and was meant more for a man, yet held girlish touches with the green bows and ribbons adorned throughout.

"Sebastian, is she…?" he trailed as the butler bent down to examine the strange woman.

He removed a pair of glasses from her face and slipped them in a small chest pocket on the girl's jacket. He also took note of a gleam of silver coming from underneath the fabric of the jacket. The butler moved a gloved hand to her neck to search for a pulse, but was shocked by what he found.

On her neck was a mark, but not just any mark. A mark that looked remarkably like the one adorning his master's right eye, and the one hiding on his own hand underneath his glove. It had some subtle differences, but what it suggested was obvious.

This girl had made a contract.


	4. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

_~- Present Time -~_

Sebastian slowed the carriage as it entered the manor gates and jumped down to open the door.

It appeared that Ciel had fallen asleep, while Stephanie stared out the opposite window, a solemn yet unreadable expression on her face. She turned toward the door as it opened to meet the eyes of the butler. She wasn't sure exactly what to make of him yet, but she knew that she felt an odd sensation of safety, despite his mysterious demeanor.

"Ah, it seems the young master has fallen asleep. Milady, can you walk on your own, or should I come back for you?" he said as he scooped the young boy into his arms swiftly.

"No I don't believe that is necessary. I can handle myself," she replied, leaping out of the carriage with a smirk.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the back of her head and replaced it with a smile when she turned around to face him. She didn't seem to be in any obvious sort of pain, despite her appearance.

He would get to the bottom of this girl, no matter what it took. Until then, he would hold his composure in order to gain her trust.

As they reached the front steps, he held the door for her and gestured her in, carrying Ciel in his arms simultaneously.

Upon entering the huge manor, Stephanie was met with four curious faces, of what she presumed to be more servants of the manor.

"We will be having a guest for some time," Sebastian said addressing the four, who gave surprised expressions. "Make her comfortable while I put the young master to bed."

"Ooh, a guest how exciting!" exclaimed a young boy who ran over to Stephanie taking her hands in his. "I'm Finny Miss! It's a pleasure!" he smiled, shaking her hands energetically.

She was taken aback at first at the small boys strength as he shook her hands in a death grip, but regained her composure and smiled enthusiastically, laughing nervously.

Before Stephanie could introduce herself, a red haired maid with huge glasses scuttled over to her and bowed, "H-hello Miss! My name is Mey-Rin! Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you!" she said, while tripping a bit, and Stephanie moved to grab her arms to steady her.

"Oh! Th-thank you Miss! I'm so clumsy at times!" she said shaking, but Stephanie laughed, "It's no problem Mey-Rin."

"Well, I guess it's my turn then," came the rough voice of a blond haired man, clad in a white smock with goggles hanging around his neck. "The name's Bard, Miss, nice to meet you," he said, giving a lopsided smile with his cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

"Ho, ho, ho!" came a response from a small, old man nursing a cup of hot tea, and Stephanie couldn't help but chuckle at him.

"Oh, and that's Tanaka! He's been here the longest out of all of us," added Finny. This old man was too cute. They all were, in their own eccentric ways.

"Well, my name is Stephanie, although I'm afraid I can't tell you much more than that. It appears I've lost my memory," she stated, without any obvious expression of sadness.

Finny on the other hand practically teared up at this finding.

"Wahhh! That's so sad!" he cried, falling to his knees, bursting with enough emotion to compensate for Stephanie's lack thereof.

"Oh, Finny! Please don't get so worked up! I don't mind that much, even though I'm admittedly curious as to my past… the best I can do is attempt to gather clues, and your master Ciel and Sebastian have agreed to help me."

"Oh that's wonderful Miss!" came a response from Mey-Rin, who fiddled with her glasses. "It's a bit exciting if I do say so myself," she added under her breath with a giddy expression. "Who knows what could be lurking in your past, oh yes!" she said with a devious expression, her mind wandering with possibilities.

"Ah, just ignore her Steph, she fantasizes a lot," joked Bard, while Mey-Rin laughed nervously.

"Quit harassing the poor girl, or she won't be too keen on staying here," came the voice of Sebastian who descended the stairs, no longer burdened by his young master's sleeping body.

"Please show her just how exceptional the Phantomhive hospitality can be."

"Yes Sebastian!" came the simultaneous response of the three accompanied by Tanaka's signature, "Ho, ho, ho!"

"Milady, allow me to accompany you to your guest room, you must be quite tired," he said, gesturing up the stairs before following behind her. As they reached a room in the left wing of the house, he held open the door for her and once the two were in the room he swiftly slammed the door and locked it. Stephanie jumped with alarm and turned around to face him.

Sebastian sighed before turning his attention to her.

His red eyes flared a bright pink and before she could question it he had latched his hands around her throat and slammed her back against a wall, which earned a shocked gasp from the young girl.

"Sebastian!" she choked.

He gave her a wicked grin, and Stephanie was certain she saw fangs emerge, but she could have just imagined it.

"I don't know who you are, but you _will_ tell me sooner or later," he whispered smoothly in her ear. His grip loosened as he trailed a hand to the side of her neck.

"You've made a contract haven't you? That's not something that one can so easily forget," he said, tracing along the pentagram pattern on her neck.

"What are you talking about?" she gasped with genuine surprise.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at her, before grabbing her shoulders and whipping her around to face the mirrored wall. She glanced at her reflection as he turned her head to the side so she could view the mark left there.

As she was pressed against his back, she took note of the butler's inhuman strength, and her eyes moved once again to the large red stain on her torso. Her eyes widened in surprise at the foreign shape on her neck and her eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

"What is that!?" she gasped, as her own hand came up to touch it.

Sebastian gave a deep chuckle, "How long are you really going to keep this charade going my dear? I don't take kindly to liars. Am I going to have to resort to other means in order for me to persuade you to tell me the truth?"

He was good at hiding his frustration. The mark wasn't familiar to him, which meant it belonged to a demon he hadn't yet encountered. This made him all the more eager to find out just who exactly she had contracted with. Yet he knew he couldn't hurt the girl too much, since she had already been marked.

She narrowed her own eyes at him and his accusations, "I've told you already, I don't remember what happened!" she pleaded.

Sebastian frowned. Even he could sense the girl's desperation. Something wasn't right here, and it appeared that she may have actually been telling the truth.

He released her but guided her over to the bed.

"Lie down, I must inspect your wounds," he stated simply, and Stephanie marveled at his seemingly bipolar attitude. Just a second earlier he had been threatening and strangling her.

She hesitated and he sighed before reaching for her jacket until she slapped his hand away.

"I can do it myself thank you! You can go, I don't need your assistance anymore," she said coldly.

"Milady, I won't have you dying overnight. Mostly because I believe you are hiding something. Also, I do not wish to have to deal with a corpse tomorrow morning," he said with a tone that made Stephanie unsure of whether he was being serious or humorous.

"Alright alright, but let me take it off myself," she sighed before removing the long jacket and slowly undoing the buttons on the white, blood-stained blouse. Afraid of the sight she might find, she shrugged off the material, only to find herself perfectly fine and unscathed.

Sebastian also displayed some shock as well, and examined the blouse.

"It must not have been your blood," he concluded, yet his face betrayed his certainty.

She inspected the torn blouse with visible holes, which appeared to have been made by a sharp object due to the large but precise gashes.

"Well that explains the lack of pain, but how do you explain these?" she said, pointing to the holes.

Sebastian closed his eyes in thought, finally speaking, "I believe we should wait until morning to further investigate. Please rest for now Milady, and I… apologize for mistaking your true intentions earlier," he added as a bit of an afterthought.

She remained wary of the butler, but replied rather stubbornly to his retreating form, "I'm not tired."

He turned around and flashed her a smile, "Please rest, Miss."

The door closed and Stephanie sighed. What was wrong with her? She loses her memory, wakes up appearing to be injured, but yet unscathed, and ends up in the manor of a young, rich, earl with only one eye and a mysterious butler.

On top of that, she felt different. She couldn't describe it, but something was preventing her from sleeping. No, not preventing her. It was as if she didn't even need to sleep.

She did have an overwhelming sense of hunger however. A type of hunger that couldn't be satisfied by food.

Something was very odd.


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Sebastian laid in his bed, despite having no actual need for sleep, going over the events of the previous hour. Stephanie definitely had the mark of a demon on her neck, this much he knew to be true, but what he couldn't understand was the girl's genuine lack of knowledge about said mark. Perhaps she had in fact entered a contract, but her demon had ended it, somehow managing to erase her memories in the process. Sebastian knew that all demons possessed a wide range of powers, but he hadn't yet heard of one that had the ability to manipulate a person's memories. He himself could do no such thing.

Puzzled, his attention turned to the weapons that he had confiscated from the girl's possession. The gleaming silver blades shined as clearly as his own polished silverware, but with the addition of two green ribbons adorning the handles. The strange blades could be fastened together to form and odd looking pair of oversized scissors. Very curious that the young woman should possess such weapons. It was evident that she must have been skilled with them, artfully concealing them in holsters on her thighs under the jacket. The butler had taken precautionary measures to remove them from her person, lest she turned out to be falsifying her claim of amnesia. He decided that he would not be returning them anytime soon, and carefully placed them in his bedside dresser, hidden beneath the secret bottom of a velvet-lined drawer.

In a room down the hall, Stephanie was in a similar predicament, not having any desire whatsoever to sleep, yet replaying the night over and over in her head. For the moment, her memories solely consisted of the past two hours, which wasn't exactly much to go off of. On top of that, she had absolutely no clues as to who she was, considering that everything contradicted any logical explanation she could come up with.

For one thing, she knew she was oddly dressed for a woman her age. A proper Victorian woman would never dream of wearing anything but a dress, and here she was, exposing skin, adorned in clothes that seemed fitting of a man. Yet her ribbons obviously accented her femininity to some extent. She inferred that she liked the color green too. Yes, she agreed that this color was her favorite.

Secondly, she had wound up in the middle of a park, with a seemingly critical injury, yet remained unharmed, despite the amount of blood staining her clothing. It was clear that she had been in danger, and someone may have wanted to harm her.

The most confusing aspect of all, was the strange mark that the butler had so violently made her aware of. His reaction to her was very hostile when he got her alone, and her hands subconsciously went to her neck, touching the skin. He had obviously meant to threaten her, that was clearly displayed in his actions toward her, and he assumed she had been faking her claim about her forgotten memories. Yet why did she feel safe around the man?

Failing to come to any meaningful conclusion, Stephanie shut her eyes, and attempted to sleep. In the morning she would surely be able to think more clearly.

Yet the only image that haunted her thoughts, was that of a smiling Sebastian, whose eyes seemed to bore right into her very soul, taunting her and giving off the impression that he knew something she didn't.


	6. Chapter 5

**_NOTE: Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading up until now! Special shout out to Paxloria, who has been kind enough to review multiple times - you're amazing! I have some pretty big twists in the story later on that I think will surprise you, so I hope you all keep reading! Thank you again ^^_**

_Chapter 5_

A knock on the bedroom door caused Stephanie's eyes to snap open as she sat up in the plush four poster bed. She hadn't been able to sleep that night, but her eyes had been closed for so long she hadn't even realized that the sun had risen.

"Miss, are you awake?" came a muffled voice of Sebastian, and he propped the door open a crack.

"Yes! Yes, I'm up," she replied, looking down at herself.

She sure looked like a sorry sight, still only clad in a slim type of undershirt, and the shorts from the previous night. The soiled, bloody blouse remained on the floor, looking up at her as if it held the key to her past.

Her head turned to face the butler, who entered carrying what appeared to be a stack of clothing.

"I took the liberty of arranging some clothes that I assumed would fit you. They happen to belong to the young master's tailor, Nina Hopkins, and seeing as how she left them here during her previous appointment with the young master, I'm sure she wouldn't mind you wearing them. After all, your…*ahem*… style, seems to be remarkably similar to hers," he said, raising an eyebrow as he placed them on the bedside table.

She observed his face, plastered with the same smile as he had displayed upon leaving her room the night before, and she was unsure of how to interpret this.

She responded with a simple, "thank you," as she examined the clothes in the stack.

"I will be serving the young master tea and breakfast downstairs in the dining room in a matter of minutes. If you would be so kind as to make yourself decent, he would like to speak with you about your current predicament," he said, before closing the door softly and leaving Stephanie alone.

_He acted as if nothing happened last night_, she thought strangely, and moved to lay out the clothes neatly on the bed.

She decided to pick a plain, cream-colored blouse with long sleeves, similar to her own, now ruined. She paired it with a dark maroon colored vest, lined with black velvet around the collar and pockets. Stephanie opted to remain in her black shorts from the night before, it being one of the only things familiar to her to cling to. There were a few jackets in the clothes Sebastian had brought, and she chose a black one that was shorter than her own, trench length, customized jacket, and finished the outfit with her green ribbon, using it to tie up her hair.

Satisfied with her appearance, she exited the room, following the sounds of clattering plates and utensils from downstairs. Strangely enough, she had no desire to eat breakfast, but she didn't want to offend her young host who had so graciously accommodated her.

As she descended the stairs, she realized that Ciel hadn't been too keen on allowing her to return to his manor with them. It had been Sebastian who had urged his master to consider putting her up for the night. The butler was clearly suspicious of her, and as well he should be. She hadn't a clue as to who she was herself, and she didn't blame the two for not trusting her.

She found two large doors open and glanced through them to the lavish dining room table, decked out with candelabras and flower arrangements. For such a long table, its sole occupant looked rather small sitting at the head of the table, with some scones and tea.

Stephanie wasn't sure how to approach the young earl, but he spotted her standing in the doorway and simply gave a nod, gesturing for her to sit down. As she took a seat in the chair next to his spot at the head of the table, she waited patiently for him to address her.

"I see the clothes from Nina suit you well. I expected as much, seeing as how the both of you share such strange taste in fashion," he said emotionlessly, but Stephanie picked up on the hint of a smirk that just so happened to grace the edge of his lips.

"Thank you very much for lending them to me Lord Phantomhive," she responded, adding, "you are too kind to have allowed me to stay the night, but I don't wish to trouble you any longer," she finished, despite having an urge to cling to these people she had just met.

Ciel gave a 'hmph' sound as Sebastian entered carrying a tray.

"Tea milady?" he asked, while setting down a delicate porcelain cup and saucer in front of her.

"Today's brew features the floral aroma of orange and hibiscus flower, imported from the Caribbean, along with a subtle spiciness of ginger," he described expertly, pouring the steaming liquid into the cup.

"Thank you very much," she said, while bringing the warm liquid up to her face, taking in its aromatic scents.

"As Sebastian and I had stated before, Lady Stephanie, we will aid you in your investigation about your past. I don't go back on my word, and since that is what I have offered you, you may stay here as long as it takes for you to regain your memories."

He paused to take a sip of tea and a bite from a perfectly formed cranberry orange scone.

"However… I do expect to gain something from your stay here, as I believe that you may have had something to do with the disappearance of Emily Jameson. Her body was found just this morning, close to the park where we found you last night. She had a history of visiting that very park, and since she was murdered, it only seems reasonable enough to suspect that you were another victim of the killer, yet…it seems that he was unable to finish the job properly," Ciel finished, looking her straight in the eyes.

A gloved hand rested on her shoulder as Sebastian bent down to speak over her shoulder, "Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that you yourself may in fact be the killer Miss, and the wounds you received last night were the result of a struggle between yourself and the Jameson girl," he said smoothly, earning a smile from his master as the two shared a glance.

_Great_, she thought. So she was now being considered a suspicious candidate for the murder of a young woman. Either that, or she had narrowly escaped the killer herself.

"Well, neither of those possibilities seem very heartening to me, but I do appreciate the help that you two are offering. I shall accept my fate, whatever it may be, if I am to regain my memories any time soon."

"In that case, Miss, I believe that it may benefit you to accompany myself and the young master into London today. We will be interviewing some of the inspectors at Scotland Yard and perhaps you may find something that will trigger a piece of your memory," stated Sebastian, before releasing his hand from her shoulder with a forceful squeeze.

The gesture didn't go unnoticed and Stephanie caught what the underlying message was. _I'm keeping my eye on you_. She had to laugh mentally, considering the irony of that thought as she looked at the young earl and his eye patch. _Oh, what have you gotten yourself into now?_

**_If anyone is wondering about Nina Hopkins, the tailor, I'll put a picture of her and her attire on my profile._**


	7. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

London certainly was busy today, but there were scarcely any single women walking around without a male escort to protect them. It looked like no woman wanted to take her chances against this mystery killer that had been plaguing London.

In the carriage ride from the manor, Ciel had briefly described the current case to Stephanie up until then. It had started with a simple murder of a young woman about 23 years old. Her name was Frances Hart, a member of the middle class with no notable ties to anyone who would have any reason to kill her. She worked in a bookstore, and lived alone in a flat above the small store. She spent most of her life alone, occasionally joining a few friends for tea. Nothing too exciting for the proper brunette woman.

The second victim, Bridget Thorne was a dressmaker, currently engaged to her husband Jonathan Ross. She had grown up as an orphan, and having been claimed by no foster parents, ended up living and working at the same orphanage until she was eighteen. Then she served as an apprentice in the dress shop where she worked until she was murdered at the age of 25. Her appearance could be described as average, or even plain, but she did take great pride in making and designing her own dresses.

The third woman to be named a victim was Sarah Billings, a pretty blonde who was a lounge singer at night, and frequented many of the underground pubs around the city. She was well known and well liked in this scene, and had a numerous amount of men who were seeking to court her. Yet she opted for a carefree sort of life, and had no desire to remain tied down to one man. Sarah wasn't exactly a prostitute, but was considered more of a 'loose' woman, to the standards of the time. She was the oldest of the victims so far, killed at the age of 31.

The fourth and most recent victim was that of Emily Jameson, whom Sebastian and Ciel had been investigating just the previous night. Unlike the other women, Emily was fairly prominent in London society. She had gained quite the reputation for herself as the 28 year old theater starlet who garnered many of the leading roles in any of the big productions put on in the city. Almost every play that she starred in would sell out in a matter of days, and her acting talents were renowned throughout several cities. She had a stunning voice and was a favorite of many directors when it came to casting her as a female lead in any opera. The soprano was a darling of the upper class, and quickly established a name for herself that earned her a reputation as a socialite, despite only belonging to the upper middle class. She was invited to many lavish balls or parties, and it was rumored that she was currently being courted by a fellow theater member. An obvious suspect in her case might have been a jealous understudy, but so far, the Yard had turned up no potential enemies of the girl, and it wouldn't have fit with the previous victims.

After being brought up to speed with the current facts, Stephanie felt her mind going over the details, eager to play detective in this case as well as her own. Although the women didn't really mean anything to her, somewhere inside, she felt the strong sense of justice to put an end to the ruthless murders.

As she and Sebastian walked on either side of Ciel, she couldn't help but take note of the dreary, melancholy atmosphere of the city.

The trio neared Scotland Yard station and were greeted by a somewhat surly man wearing spectacles and sporting a large beard. Lord Arthur Randall gave a sort of grunting noise as he spotted the young Phantomhive heir, who simply dismissed it, instead making his way into the station as if he owned it. The commissioner seemed reluctant to let him in, but knew he couldn't do much lest he offend the Queen's 'guard dog.'

"Randall, I want you to enlighten us as to the most recent updates of the Emily Jameson case," he said, walking directly into Randall's office and taking a seat in a chair across from the desk.

The Yard had been using the name of the most recent victim to refer to the case. Although it was a bit unconventional, there were no particular patterns or leads as to the reason behind the killings, and it sounded better than simply, 'the mystery case.'

As Randall followed the three into his own office, he sighed and looked at Stephanie.

"I'm acquainted with your butler Earl Phantomhive, but you have yet to introduce me to this girl. Who is she, and does she have anything to do with this case?" he huffed.

"She will be assisting me in the investigation and you will make any information known to me and Sebastian privy to her as well," he said, nodding to the two.

"Yes, well then… Philip!" yelled Lord Randall, and without a moment's hesitation a youthful looking man came rushing into view.

"Yes Commissioner?" he panted, standing in the doorway.

"Get a few more chairs for our guests," Randall stated, gesturing to the single chair in his office which Ciel was currently occupying.

"That won't be necessary," came the voice of Sebastian. "Lady Stephanie and I can stand," he said gesturing to Stephanie who merely nodded her approval.

"Nonsense, Philip-" started Randall, but was cut off by Ciel's voice.

"My butler is right Randall. I don't desire to stay in this place any longer than I have to, if you will just get to the point and entertain us to the facts of this case, the sooner we can be rid of this wretched environment."

Young officer Philip looked back and forth, unsure of exactly who he should be listening to, until Randall shooed him away.

"Very well Phantomhive. As you have probably read from yesterday's headline, Emily Jameson was indeed confirmed dead after her body was discovered late last night in the alleyway near the Grand Empress. The cause of death appears to be from a knife wound, as she had a rather large stab mark in her torso. Red marks were also found on her wrists, suggesting she had been bound with a rough rope."

"Well, I must admit Randall, you haven't told me much that I wasn't already aware of. Once again, you've also seemed to ignore an important clue in this case," Ciel scoffed.

Stephanie thought for sure she could see a vein in Randall's forehead about to burst, but perhaps she was just imagining it.

The young boy continued, "Last night, Sebastian and I were investigating the area around the crime scene, but noticed something odd. According to her knife wound, there should have been much more of Miss Jameson's blood on the ground, had she actually been murdered in the alleyway."

The butler continued the explanation, "Upon further examination, the young master and I found a subtle, but visible trace of blood leading away from the crime scene which suggested that she was killed somewhere first, and then moved to the alleyway later."

"Th- that doesn't prove anything!" Randall stuttered, clearly upset. "The killer was probably just trying to hide the body."

"I hardly think he was worried about someone finding the body…" Stephanie muttered under her breath, but Randall picked up on it.

"What was that? Who are you anyway? Do you have any information or not?" he uttered, eager to take his anger out on someone in the room.

"Lady Stephanie is my assistant," Ciel answered for her and shot a glance at Sebastian, who met his master's eyes and smiled slightly.

"Yes indeed. She was the one who pointed out the true location of the murder to us last night," the butler added.

Stephanie looked at the pair before deciding to play along with their story and gave a confirming nod. They were protecting her after all.

"Well, where is this location then?" urged the commissioner.

"It is a small park within walking distance of the alleyway where Emily Jameson was found last night. While we don't know enough information as of now, it may in fact be an important clue in the future."

"Well I won't send my men on a wild goose chase based on pure speculation Phantomhive. That doesn't tell us anything regarding the rest of the victims."

"There is one thing that I have found in common with the murders. They all seem to turn up close to their place of work, don't you agree?" asked Ciel.

"The master is quite right," continued Sebastian, producing a rolled up piece of parchment from underneath his coat pocket.

_Where the heck did that come from?_ thought Stephanie, not having noticed the huge scroll hidden amongst the butler's clothes.

"All of the women were found within a mile of their place of work," he said, unfurling the paper, showing a map of London.

Lord Randall let out a few unrecognizable sounds, obviously perturbed at being told new information about his own case.

"Philip! Why don't we have a map of London?! Go get one!" Randall ordered as the young man hurried out of the room muttering, "Yes sir! Yes sir!"

When the commissioner returned his attention to the trio, Sebastian continued.

"Frances Hart," he said, pointing to a small red 'X' on the map, "found murdered on St. James Street, approximately 0.8 miles from the bookstore where she worked."

"Bridget Thorne, found dead approximately half a mile from her dressmaking shop on Chancery Lane," as he pointed to another 'X.'

"Sarah Billings, turned up a quarter mile from the Royal Hotel on Church Street, which contains a pub in the basement floor, where she frequently worked as a lounge singer."

"Finally, our latest victim," he stated, and moved his gloved finger to the 'X' nearest to their current position. "Emily Jameson, found this morning, less than a third of a mile from the Grand Theater."

Lord Arthur Randall sat with an open mouth as all of this was revealed to him by the butler at a lightning fast speed, but he quickly regained his composure and stuttered, "Th- that doesn't mean anything though! It only suggests that the killer knew where they worked, which wouldn't have been very difficult to find out. The locations are fairly close in distance to each other but it still gives us no clue as to the murderer or his next course of action!"

"On the contrary Randall, it does," Ciel countered, smiling at the commissioner, before getting up from the chair.

"Thank you for your assistance," he said before leaving the office followed by Stephanie who gave a curious look to the butler beside her who just simply smiled.

"Wait! Wait, where are you going? What could you possibly have figured out from that Phantomhive?" yelled Randall, who Ciel ignored completely, not even bothering to turn around.

Officer Phillip rushed back into the room, dropping a few maps in the process on the ground, and Randall just shook his head in annoyance.

"Who- who was that commissioner?" Philip said timidly, who stared at the retreating trio.

Randall grumbled, "The Queen's damned guard dog."


	8. Chapter 7

**_First, thank you so much to everyone who has read, favorited, followed, and commented so far! I really appreciate your support and interest and hope you continue reading!_**

**_Special thanks to:  
_**

**Paxloria**

**Glacia the Fox**

**_and _Dontgotaclue88**

**_for kindly reviewing - you guys are awesome!_**

**_Second, this chapter is really short, so I'll probably publish the next one tonight too. Enjoy! :)_**

_Chapter 7_

Randall wasn't the only one who was at a loss as to the earl's new discovery from the location of the murdered women. As the trio walked down the streets of London, Stephanie could hold her tongue no longer and had to break the silence.

"Pardon my asking, young earl, but…what exactly have we found out, in light of the new finding? It's obvious that the victims are all women, and were killed close to where they worked, but how will that help us stop the killer from striking again?" she questioned eagerly.

"Admittedly, it doesn't give us much, Lady Stephanie, however, the knowledge that Randall will be scrambling over at the Yard gives me much satisfaction," he replied smirking evilly.

Stephanie stood open-mouthed and stopped in her tracks. "Then, then all of that was for nothing then?" she said exasperatedly.

"Well, not exactly," responded Sebastian, cryptically.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked the red-eyed man.

"Well, the location of each of the murders seems to be within a mile radius of the very park in which we found you last night," he stated. "Most likely, the killer may be luring the women there due to the proximity of their places of work, and then murdering them. He is trying to hide the significance of that park however, by moving them after he has already murdered them. There must be a reason he's using the park for the murder, yet… he doesn't wish for the bodies to be found there. The trail of blood droplets that we tracked from the alley led us to the park, where we found you, but assuming the killer attempted to murder you, the question is, why didn't he succeed?"

"So how exactly do you propose we go about finding the killer Sebastian?" Stephanie asked

"Our plan shall consist of drawing the killer out with the use of…" here Sebastian stopped and smiled at her through half-lidded eyes, which made her feel quite uncomfortable, "…bait."

Stephanie visibly shuddered and closed her eyes in frustration, "Please tell me you aren't referring to me," she groaned.

"Isn't it true that you agreed to do whatever it takes to regain your memories?" Ciel asked rather tauntingly. "We've agreed to give you assistance and a place to stay, it's only fair that you return the favor if you can help in this investigation," he finished, giving her a wicked smile.

"Come now milady, a strong young woman like yourself should be able to handle playing the part of a helpless woman fairly well, wouldn't you agree? After all, it hasn't been the first time that we'll have encountered you in such a _vulnerable_ position," he crooned.

She sighed and finally agreed, "Alright, I'll do it, but I won't really be in danger will I?" she asked.

"Not at all Miss, after all, a Phantomhive butler who can't protect a lady from harm isn't worth his salt," he said, bowing slightly with a hand over his chest. "I shall be close by, and will be able to find you within a moment's notice."

Somehow, Stephanie didn't doubt the butler's skills, but it still made her feel uneasy. There was one thing that wasn't quite clear to her however.

"How exactly am I supposed to draw this killer out though? I mean, there are a number of women living in London, and our killer doesn't seem to target a certain type."

"Well, we'll just have to see about finding a way to make him _notice_ you," whispered Sebastian.

She shuddered a bit at his implication and took the arm he offered her, as she climbed into the carriage.


	9. Chapter 8

**_Just a note to clarify: The reference in this chapter to Ciel previously dressing up as a girl to solve a case is referring to the Jack the Ripper case that took place in both the manga and the anime. This means that in my story, Ciel and Sebastian have already solved that case, which also means that they have met Grell and William, who may appear in later chapters ;)_**

**_Also, Stephanie's alias has absolutely no relevance to a real person. I took two random Austrian names and put them together._**

**_Enjoy, and thank you as always for your reviews! I love you guys!_**

_Chapter 8_

"Explain it to me once more?" pleaded Stephanie, as she sat nervously in the carriage, on its way to London. She was decked out in the most elegant, lavish, flamboyant dress she had ever worn in her life (or rather, the two days that she was aware of anyway). The pale blue 'monstrosity' as she had so fondly nicknamed it, was complete with bows, ruffles, and white gloves along with a blue hat to match. The puffy skirt made it difficult to sit down, but both Ciel and Sebastian assured her that she must be dressed 'over the top' in order to convince people of her alias.

"You are a young Duchess of Vienna, Theodora Henning, a distant cousin of mine. She is in fact, a real person, however she has never been to London, and no one here would know of her. She currently resides in Austria, but you will pretend to be her, visiting England to tour the country. Your status is very prominent, so you should act like a proper lady, but don't be afraid to overdo it. Since she's about five years younger than you, you should act giddy and girlish, something that I admit, may be difficult for you," he said while smirking. Stephanie just grumbled in response.

"Milady," Sebastian whispered in her ear, "it might give you satisfaction to know that the young master himself once had to masquerade as a girl in order to solve a case. Let's just say, pale pink definitely suits him," he finished with a smirk and a wink at Ciel.

Stephanie couldn't help but giggle at the image that popped into her head, and finally burst out in uncontrollable laughter.

"Sebastian…" Ciel warned in a low tone of voice, "what did you tell her?" he asked threateningly.

"Oh nothing Ciel, it's just that, had I known you prefer wearing dresses so much, I would have suggested you to play this part!" she laughed.

Ciel paled as his one visible eye widened and he quickly turned red, facing his butler with rage, "_WHY WOULD YOU BRING THAT UP_!?" he yelled, as Sebastian remained calmly smirking.

"Forgive me, my lord, I had just hoped to loosen up the girl, and it looks as if it has helped."

Indeed Stephanie felt much less nervous, and was ready to play her part as the rich duchess.

Before Ciel could even respond, Sebastian interrupted, "young master, milady, we have arrived," he said, before opening the carriage door and putting out his hand to help them out.

Ciel had ordered the most extravagant horses and carriage to travel through the city, which was sure to turn heads and gain the attention of just about everyone on the streets. They had rented out a room at the most trendy and expensive hotel currently in London. Conveniently, it was located near the center of the city, within walking distance of the park where the majority of the murders were believed to have taken place.

Since Sebastian had been riding with the pair, he had enlisted Finny to drive the carriage. The gardener was overjoyed to be a part of their 'secret operation' and was sharply dressed in a clean tuxedo.

"Have fun young master and Lady Steph- uh… I mean, Lady Theodora!" Finny yelled happily, nearly blowing their cover.

Sebastian shook his head while Ciel and Stephanie sighed in relief.

"I knew we shouldn't have brought him along…" Ciel grumbled, but quickly regained himself.

Ciel and his 'cousin' were going to have lunch in the hotel's dining room downstairs, hoping to draw some attention to themselves. The more obvious they made her presence known, they figured it would give her a greater chance of being targeted by the killer when he had a chance to strike her alone, later that night.

As Stephanie accepted the butler's hand, she managed to carefully descend the stairs of the carriage without tripping, and was met with a curious group of onlookers, that had been wondering exactly who had been riding in the outlandish carriage.

She decided to start her charade immediately, and put on a fake expression of glee, and yelled a bit loudly in the most girlish voice she could muster.

"Ohhh Ciel! It's even more wonderful than you described! Many of our relatives have said that this hotel was the grandest in all of Europe and they weren't lying! It's absolutely marvelous!" she exclaimed, clasping her gloved hands together and turning her head around to glance at everything, the massive brunette curls Sebastian had styled for her whipping around her head under her matching blue and white hat.

"Ah, my dear cousin, I'm glad you're enjoying our wonderful city. I would only consider giving the best to you, being a member of my family and royalty at that. After all, you've journeyed so far from Austria," he responded, acting perfectly.

Many voices were heard mumbling in the crowd around the hotel as passersby whispered and gossiped to one another.

"Did you hear?"

"He said she was a Duchess from Vienna!"

"All the way from Austria?"

"That's the Phantomhive Earl right?"

"Wow, I wish my cousin was that pretty!"

"Oh, her dress is beautiful! Look at all of the extravagant bows and details!"

"It must have cost a fortune!"

"She must be rich!"

Stephanie threw Ciel a genuine smile as it seemed their plan was falling into place perfectly. Word was sure to spread quickly among the common and middle class on the streets, and they only had to make their presence known inside the hotel, for those members of the upper class to pass the word around.

**_Note: A link to a picture of the 'pale blue monstrosity' will be on my profile page ;D_**


	10. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

Their plan seemed to have been executed flawlessly. Ciel and 'Theodora' had decided to take their lunch and tea in the large dining room on the first floor of the hotel. They seemed to have attracted many whispers as they ate, and Stephanie continued to play up her charade with surprising ease. She didn't hesitate to reinforce (rather loudly) how different Britain and Austria seemed to be, despite not having actually visited the country herself. Ciel and Sebastian had given her enough background information to prepare her to talk about various things.

Most of her topics were trivial and consisted of examining things that most women would be rather knowledgeable about, such as fashion, decorations, music, tea and those general sorts of things. Needless to say, by the time the pair retired to their suite upstairs, almost everyone in the hotel knew of the Duchess of Vienna.

"Can I take off this dress now? I'm so tired of moving around in it," Stephanie whined, while hoisting up the immense amount of fabric, before plopping down on an armchair.

"Not yet. We still need you to go out again later tonight. It will be easy for the target to spot you leaving the hotel in that get up. We can only hope that word has gotten around and he's considering you as a potential victim," Ciel stated in a monotone sort of voice. "It will be even easier for him to go after you, since you'll be alone."

"Gee, your concern for my wellbeing simply radiates off of you my lord," Stephanie said sarcastically, which earned her a glare from the earl.

"I never said I was concerned about you! I simply want to put an end to these murders. You are nothing but a pawn in my game," he uttered rather coldly.

Stephanie should have been taken aback at the harsh comment, but she had come to realize that the earl wasn't exactly one to display much sincerity and kindness toward others.

She sighed and made her way over to the large, gold framed windows that overlooked the street below. The suite they were staying in truly was extravagant. It was the largest in the hotel, and gave an excellent view of the city. Stephanie spent a while absentmindedly watching the people mulling around outside and barely noticed the sun going down.

"It looks like things are dying down out there. I don't see too many people out anymore," she announced to Ciel and Sebastian, who had been currently engaged in a chess match.

"Well milady, shall we prepare for your nightly stroll?" asked Sebastian.

"You make it sound like I'm getting ready for my execution," she answered flatly.

"Don't worry yourself, Miss, I am in fact, one hell of a butler. I will do my best not to let any harm come to you. However… in case we are caught off guard," he stopped before reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small item, "please don't hesitate to use this to protect yourself," he said, while placing a small revolver in her hands.

She took the weapon, gripping the handle comfortably. It fit her fingers exactly, and she knew she wouldn't have a problem using it.

"Thank you Sebastian," she replied and hid the small gun in a white muff where she would be able to conceal it without having to release her hold on it.

"You must leave the hotel alone, since we don't want to arouse our killer's suspicion. It would be too obvious if I followed closely behind you," he explained.

"I understand," Stephanie said and took a deep breath before turning the knob to leave the room.

"Good luck, milady," whispered Sebastian, before she closed the door and made her way downstairs.


	11. Chapter 10

**_We're getting to the exciting stuff! Nearly done, but there's a bunch of twists to come. I hope I can surprise you in the end - I doubt anyone has figured out where I'm going with the storyline. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out the details of the sequel. -_-_**

**_Anyway, enjoy! _**

_Chapter 10_

There was a cool breeze blowing outside, just enough to ruffle Stephanie's hair and send a chill down her spine. When she had left the building, there wasn't a single person to be found, and she felt a bit strange to be roaming the streets alone. It would have been odd for anyone to see a woman walking alone at night, let alone one of noble birth, but she was sure that if the killer wanted to strike, it would give him a perfect opportunity.

She pretended to be rather aloof, thinking to herself how she would act if she had snuck out without permission. A smile graced her features as she made sure to look around exaggeratedly, pretending to be taking in the sights of London. After all, nobles could be pretty naive at times, and she figured the killer wouldn't find it odd for a young girl to want to rebel a little.

Minutes turned into hours, and after countless loops around the area surrounding the park, Stephanie's feet could take no more. She found herself back at the hotel entrance, after an uneventful walk. Not a single person was out, due to the recent killings, and she wasn't approached by any suspicious characters. She had to admit, it was rather unnerving, but perhaps the killer hadn't planned his next move yet. Or perhaps they had gone too far with her status. It sure would be intimidating to kill a duchess in a position of power.

She sighed as she entered the hotel once again, and made her way upstairs to the room.

As she knocked on the door, it was opened by Sebastian, and she looked shocked for a moment.

"You're back already!? I thought you were supposed to be following me?" she snapped, tired and frustrated.

"Milady I was indeed keeping a close watch on you, and I assure you that you never left my sight," he winked mischievously, and she was sure his eyes glowed a bright pink for a second.

She shook her head and pushed past him into the room.

"I was sure he would make a move…" trailed Ciel, before going deep into thought.

"Well he didn't _Lord Phantomhive_, so what's your plan now?" replied Stephanie indignantly.

"I believe we've all had enough for today, you two should rest," said Sebastian before Ciel could reply, as he helped loosen the strings on the back of Stephanie's dress.

He left her before attending to Ciel, who retired in the suite's master bedroom.

While the butler was preoccupied, Stephanie finished undressing herself and slipped into a more comfortable nightgown that Sebastian had prepared for her. She had to admit, she felt fatigued slightly, but it wasn't exactly a feeling of sleepiness. Her body felt like it needed rest, and energy. She slumped down in the chair, too lazy to get up and move over to the bed, and closed her eyes.

* * *

Stephanie was awoken by sunlight streaming through the immense floor to ceiling glass windows that overlooked London. She pulled the covers closer around her neck, snuggling into them, closing her eyes and enjoying their warmth.

_Wait… covers_?

She opened her eyes and took a minute to process the four poster bed that she was occupying. _Hadn't she fallen asleep in the chair? So how had she gotten to…?_

As her eyes fell on the black clad figure walking through the doorway, she answered the question herself.

"You moved me last night… after I fell asleep in the chair," she stated, rather than questioned, to Sebastian, who coyly smiled at her.

"Milady, it wouldn't have been proper for you to sleep there, and I'm positive that you were able to sleep more comfortably in the bed," he smiled as he carried a tray over to the side table setting it down gracefully.

"Tea?" he questioned.

"Oh, I suppose that would be nice," she yawned.

As he poured the steaming hot liquid into a dainty cup, Stephanie couldn't help but watch him in amazement. Everything he did, he seemed to do flawlessly.

"What's on our agenda for today then?" she asked as she hopped out of the bed and sat down in a chair by the window.

Sebastian sighed and looked at her, "Unfortunately we haven't gained any leads on this case, and I believe the young master will want to further investigate."

Stephanie sipped her tea quietly and looked out the window.

"Yes, it seems we will have to try harder, although, I'm not sure this is the correct way to lure our killer out of hiding. What if he isn't looking for just any woman as a target? He had multiple chances to make a move last night. He either wasn't interested or just didn't feel motivated enough to target me," she pondered.

"You're quite right milady, and I don't think we should require your services anymore for today. Master Ciel has arranged to investigate other matters that may be related to the case. He has an appointment with Her Majesty the Queen this afternoon, so you have the day off," he smiled.

"What should I do?" she asked him honestly.

"Anything you wish," he smiled.

"Right," she agreed, "it'll be nice not to have to wear all of that hideous material again," she said, eyeing the dress hanging in the wardrobe.

The butler chuckled, earning a glare from the girl, "Lady Stephanie, it should hardly be such a chore for a lady like you to wear proper clothing," he teased.

"Yes, but who ever said I was a lady," she mused, going over to the wardrobe to pick up her more comfortable clothes from Nina.

"I think I'm better suited for these clothes anyway," she continued as the butler moved to exit the room to allow her some privacy, but not before he let out a whispered comment.

"I think so too," he purred close to her neck, giving her shivers.

As he closed the door, she gathered her wits and changed quickly.

She figured she would wander around town today and see if she could overhear any gossip, and possibly investigate the area.

* * *

Stephanie hadn't gathered much from the streets. The buzz about the "duchess" seemed to have died down a little, but the public still seemed to be afraid of the killer, murmuring in hushed whispers, traveling in groups of at least three or more.

Before she knew it, the sun was setting and darkness had enveloped the town. Stephanie didn't really have a clue where she was going, but she found herself back in the park that held all of the secrets to her past. She walked through the park, boots padding softly on the path that led her to the tree which had greeted her upon waking, just two days ago. She looked everywhere, bending down to examine the ground, searching for any clue as to what happened to her. The eerie glow from the lamplight added to the uneasy feeling she had from the unnaturally quiet atmosphere.

She sighed, not having found anything, and went to stand up prepared to return to the hotel, until she felt something slam into her from behind, knocking her face-first into the ground.

Stephanie was too shocked to do anything, and mentally cursed herself for allowing herself to be caught off guard so easily. Her hand went immediately to her side, but felt an empty holster. The small gun that Sebastian had given her must have been knocked away when her attacker lunged at her.

"I thought you might show up here again," came a clear voice, as she felt a pair of hands tie a rough rope around both of her wrists.

_Where have I heard that voice before?_ Was all she could think of, as she was unable to free herself from such a vulnerable position.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you especially," the male voice said, before turning her onto her back so she could see his face.


	12. Chapter 11

**_Sorry for the delay. I wanted to go back and edit some things to make sure everything made sense. I'll put the next chapter up tonight too! Thank you as always for reading and reviewing!_**

_Chapter 11_

"Philip?!" she gasped as her eyes scanned the face of the young police officer that she had only briefly been introduced to down at the Yard.

"That's right sweetheart," he smiled, rather evilly for such a young face. His demeanor had completely changed from the clumsy, bungling young officer that he pretended to be the other day.

"Wha- why?" she managed to get out, still shocked and trying to piece together the pieces of this confusing puzzle.

He smiled and gave out a chuckle, "Yes, why would such a young policeman want to create the very crimes he should be trying to prevent?"

"Simple, revenge."

"Allow me to enlighten you as to my reasoning before I kill you," he smiled with malice in his expression.

"I grew up as a poor child, down at the St. James orphanage right here in London. My parents abandoned me when I was only five years old, since they barely had enough money to feed themselves. I did have one thing that was worth living for however, my younger sister, Lily. She meant the world to me, and I looked after her, vowing that I would do all I could to protect her and keep her alive. I did everything I could, taking small jobs as a child, and eventually worked my way up to become a rookie police officer down at the Yard. I could finally provide for my sister and everything seemed well… until she contracted tuberculosis. Many of the children in the orphanage had a variety of illnesses, and my precious sister hadn't been able to avoid them. The sickness took her life when she was only 15 years old, not even an adult.

It broke my heart. Everything I had worked for, for us, had suddenly ended. What had it all been for? I couldn't afford a gravesite in the cemetery, so instead, I took her ashes and scattered them in a place where both of us used to go to get away from it all. A place where we always used to just dream of a better life. This very park…" he trailed, taking a moment to stop and look around.

"I visited this park every day after her death, but something wasn't the same. There were others. They came to the park, taking walks with their sweethearts, or playing with their children. It made me sick, to see them so happy and in love. I wanted them to suffer for being so happy while walking through my sister's grave. She will never be able to share those feelings of happiness, now that she's gone," he stopped as a tear escaped the corner of his eye, and Stephanie could feel his sadness. In fact, it was almost…attractive to her. Tantalizing and spellbinding, that she hung on his every word, hypnotized by his story.

"I decided to take away their happiness, just as my sister's had been taken away from her. If she couldn't have a happy ending, then neither would those women. It didn't matter to me who they were or what their lives were like. All I cared about was that they would never ever be able to come to this place again. I used my job at the Yard to successfully cover my tracks and lead them away from me," he said, chuckling to himself a bit.

"Frances Hart," he said, naming the first of his victims. "She used to come here most days after work, always with a book. She sat on that bench over there, reading one of her stories. Lily used to love it when I'd read to her. Especially bedtime stories…"

Stephanie used his long drawn out speech to take the opportunity to look around. There wasn't a soul around and calling for help would be useless. She'd be dead before anyone could reach her – and that was assuming anyone would be willing to come to her aid. After all, everyone in London seemed to be avoiding the streets at night due to the danger. His voice brought her attention back to him.

"After it was done, I quickly realized that something wasn't right. I couldn't leave the body there to defile my sister's happiness. It would also make it easier for the police to catch me if dead bodies started ending up in the same spot every week. So I moved her. I figured the best place to relocate the body was close by her dress shop. I knew she worked there, and it would appear more like a simple robbery or stalking if it looked like she had been jumped just outside of her shop. I knew that I would have to do the same for the rest of them as well."

_How could such a young man be filled with so much evil?_

"Bridget Thorne, ahh lovely Bridget. She was an orphan like us, grew up in St. James and even worked there for a while, after Lily and I had moved out. I liked her, but she had to go and get married to that man. He proposed to her in this park, over there by the roses," he said, pointing to a row of rose bushes, currently barren of any blooms. "I realized that… my sister… would never have that opportunity, to fall in love, get married, and maybe one day have kids…"

Stephanie attempted to free herself of the rope bindings continued on his little tirade, but just couldn't loosen them.

"Sarah Billings, that nightclub singer. Do you know what she used to do? She used to come out here every night for a smoke. Can you believe it? Had the nerve to smoke over my sister's grave…" he growled, his fists balling up on the ground.

_Ok, this guy is seriously insane_, Stephanie thought.

"Finally Miss Emily Jameson, the singer. She was pretty, but she had no right to walk in this park every night. She acted like it was her own special place, like she had the right to it. She always looked so happy too, it disgusted me."

Philip's face turned down to stare at hers and for a moment they locked eyes.

"Ahh, and how could I forget, our latest, soon to be victim, little Miss Stephanie, or should I call you, 'Duchess Theodora?'" he laughed mockingly.

She struggled visibly now, trying anything to gain the upper hand on this man, but couldn't, due to the fact that he was sitting on top of her.

"I knew from the moment you were going around masquerading with an alias that you and that Phantomhive boy were up to something. I'm not a fool, I know he does the Queen's dirty work, however, I never thought that you would be the one to get in the way of my mission. I could have left you alone, but I can't have you stop me from giving my sister the eternal happiness she deserves," he said with a crazed look in his eyes.

"I don't know what you're trying to accomplish, but nothing you do will be able to bring your sister back. Do you think she'd be happy watching you kill all of these innocent women!?" Stephanie screamed at the psychopath above her.

"On the contrary, I think she would have rather enjoyed it. After all, when we were children, we always said that if we couldn't be happy, _then no one would_," he said darkly, before smiling a sickeningly sweet smile at her.

"I'm sorry my dear, but your time is up," he said, running a knife down the side of her face, the cool metal, just brushing against her skin.

Stephanie panicked, her heart was racing, and she did anything she could think of to get the man off of her. Both of her legs shot up and vaulted him over her head, sending him flying into the tree behind her. She sat up quickly, eyes wide and mouth open.

_What just happened? How did I do that so easily?_ She panicked, shocked at her own strength. Quickly she pulled apart the bindings with uncanny ease, freeing her wrists.

It was as if her emotions had taken over. The combined feelings of panic, fear, and anger had all worked together to somehow allow her to overcome Philip. Something was growling in the pit of her stomach, and she couldn't quench its thirst no matter how hard she tried.

It was like an animal instinct had taken over her, and she stalked over to the tree where Philip was starting to regain his senses.

_I must have thrown him harder than I thought..._

Her eyes met his as they fluttered open, and she saw a look of pure terror cross his face, before he started crawling backwards toward the tree trunk.

"Wha- what are you?" he stuttered, as Stephanie could practically taste the fear and anxiety radiating off of him.

_Wait…taste?_ It was as if she were consuming his very emotions, and all she knew was that they were intoxicating. The intensity was too much, he truly was a passionate individual, but now, his time was up.

He made the move to bolt, but she slammed him back against the tree, both hands grabbing him by the throat, black nails digging into his flesh.

_When did my nails get so dirty…?_

Her face moved closer to his and she had no idea what she was doing, but it felt right. She yearned to drink in his feelings, his essence, his very being…

…_his soul._


	13. Chapter 12

**_I know this chapter will probably be unexpected, but I hope the surprise is a good one! _**

_Chapter 12_

Officer Philip's blank, soulless eyes stared up at the sky as Stephanie stood above his body. The man had been so consumed with vengeance, evil, and darkness, while at the same time, burdened with a twisted sorrow, brought on by the loss of his sister.

Stephanie had calmed down quickly after she seemed to snap out of a sort of trance, and she felt satisfied. What horrified her however, was the fact that she felt no remorse or fear at the thought of what she had just done.

She wasn't even sure exactly, of what she did, but she knew that Philip was dead, and that the hunger inside of her facilitated her actions, acting as a guide. It was morbid, and she knew that, but some sort of animalistic instinct had taken hold of her, and as she looked at the ravaged neck of the young officer, she suddenly worried.

What would she tell Sebastian and Ciel? How exactly was she going to explain this?

She began to wipe the blood off of her mouth, when a high pitched voice broke the silence.

"St- STEPHANIE?!" came a voice that started out quiet, yet screamed her name as it rose in volume.

Her head whipped around, startled by her onlooker and she wondered if this person had been watching as she killed Philip.

She furrowed her brows in confusion at the sight in front of her.

There stood a man…no… a woman? She wasn't even sure. He/she had long red hair, a pair of glasses, and a bright red coat adorning his/her forearms. Most odd however was the chainsaw that hung from the right hand of this perplexing person.

Stephanie couldn't help but stare, at a loss for words. This person was certainly out of place here, yet he/she recognized her? How had she known this person?

"I'm sorry, but…who are you?" she asked, standing up confidently.

The man/woman paled as a blank expression crossed his/her face.

"You- you don't remember me? You don't remember Grell?" the person asked, before bursting into tears.

She stood there awkwardly with an emotionless expression on her face.

_Grell? Great that name doesn't help me at all. I still don't know if it's a man or a woman!_ She thought, frustrated.

She sighed, before asking a much needed question, "I'm sorry, er, Grell, but… well…excuse me for asking this but are you a man or a woman?" she asked, hoping that it didn't sound too insensitive.

Grell chuckled and abruptly stopped crying walking over to her, arms outstretched, "Ohhh darling! I can't blame you for not understanding. I am one sexy man, don't you think?" he asked her, batting his false eyelashes while awaiting her response.

Stephanie blinked a few times before responding, "Well, erm… of course Mr. Grell," she said, still feeling a bit odd at the whole encounter.

"No need to be so formal dear, Grell is fine."

Grell then enveloped her in his arms, while she put an awkward arm around his back.

"Oh Stephanie dear, it's so glad to have you back, Will's been worried sick about you!" he exclaimed, squeezing her tightly.

_Will?!_ She recognized that name…

"Grell, c- can you help me. I don't remember a thing before two nights ago, and it seems that you know a lot about me. I hardly know what I just did, but I think I killed that man…" she trailed off a bit shakily looking over to the dead officer.

Grell pulled away from her and looked at her sadly. "I have no idea what happened to you honey, but I might as well just tell you," he said, pushing up his red framed glasses.

"You're a shinigami."

She blinked again, allowing this information to process before looking at him expectantly, waiting for more.

"Is that all you can tell me?" she questioned impatiently.

"Well, you and I usually work on missions together, and of course you remember Will?" he questioned.

"No. I mean, I recognize the name, but I just can't remember…"

"Oh this is terrible! Will is your _brother_! You know, mean, serious, hard-working, William T. Spears? Anyway, I came here as soon as I could! I saw your name come up on the death list and… well, I hid it from William. You've already been missing for two days and he can barely concentrate! I didn't want to tell him you were in danger, so I came here myself to save you!" he squealed a bit too enthusiastically.

"Although… it doesn't appear that you needed any help," he mused, eyeing Philip's corpse. "Who's the stiff?" he asked putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Uh, well, he's killed many women in the past two weeks, and he was about to make me his latest victim. I'm not sure what happened, but, it was like something inside of me took over and I just had to kill him…" she finished, looking down ashamed.

"Well of course you did! Without your glasses though hm? I'm impressed. Hun, where's your death scythe? It seems like you went for the throat on the guy, literally!" he laughed.

"Uh… death scythe?" she asked, puzzled.

He groaned, "Ohhh no. Did you lose it? Don't tell me you lost your glasses and your death scythe!" he sighed putting his head in his hands.

"No! No I have the glasses right here," she said, pulling them out of a coat pocket. "I'm just not sure why I have them, I mean, it's not like I need them. I can see fine without them," she said, examining the lenses and frowning.

"Let's just hope Will doesn't get too mad, Ah! Speak of the devil!" he cried while jumping up and down, facing a dark figure with what looked to be a long pole in his hands, on the outskirts of the park.

"WILL! WILL DAAARLING! I'VE FOUND HER!" Grell screamed before picking Stephanie up and bouncing her in the air.

"HEY PUT ME DOWN!" she growled, embarrassed to be handled like that.

'Will' walked quietly and calmly over to them, but as his face was hit with the lamplight, Grell finally put Stephanie down and she could see that he looked worried, behind his rectangular framed glasses.

"Stephanie!" Will said, surprised, yet his face held almost no expression.

It was as if the minute she saw Will's face and felt his presence near her, her memories came flooding back to her all at once. The sensation was overwhelming to say the least. Yet, something still eluded her. The events that had taken place the night of her 'attack' were still unclear to her.

He walked over to her and gently put his arms around her, "I'm glad you're alright," he said, before turning around to face the red headed shinigami, who was smiling gleefully.

"Will! I remember now! Well, almost everything. I'm still not sure exactly what happened two nights ago when I woke up in this park," she said sadly.

"It's okay Steph, we'll figure it out when we get back," Will said, comfortingly before turning his attention back to Grell.

"However, I can't believe _you_," Will growled, and in an instant, Grell's expression turned to one of fear.

"You knew her name was on the death list, yet you tried to hide it from me," he stated angrily. "That's unacceptable behavior and you can be sure that you'll have extra work for your insubordination."

Grell whimpered, "But William! I knew you wouldn't have been able to work and, and I thought I would save her! By the way… how did you find out?" he questioned timidly.

"Knox reported to me that you had come here talking about some 'rescue mission' and I followed immediately," he stated while Grell muttered something about 'getting back at that brat Ronald.'

Will sighed and turned back to Stephanie, "C'mon, it's time to go," he said, about to take her hand, before he stopped, and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Something's…wrong with you…" he said before continuing, "I can smell it."

"Will? What is-" she tried, but was cut off by his hand suddenly grabbing her jacket collar forcefully and yanking it down.

Her brother recoiled almost instantly, as if touching her neck had burned him, but his eyes were fixated on the mark there.

"No… No it can't be…" he whispered, while his face actually displayed a look of shock.

"What's wrong William?" Grell asked concerned before he directed his eyes to what Will was staring at. Almost immediately he let out a gasp.

"B- but, isn't that…?!" the red head stuttered before a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Lady Stephanie?"


	14. Chapter 13

**_We finally find out what happened to Stephanie! ... Well... sort of. Read on!_**

_Chapter 13_

Stephanie slowly turned around to see Ciel standing near the body of Philip, accompanied by his ever faithful butler Sebastian.

She had no clue how they had found her, however she assumed that Sebastian was able to somehow locate her. After all, it seemed the man could do almost anything.

"I found our killer," she stated plainly, pointing over to Philip's corpse nonchalantly like absolutely nothing was wrong, despite the fawning girlish sounds coming from Grell, and the fury evident on her brother's face.

"Well, it seems our work is done. We can finally return home. I'll inform the queen in the morning, by the way… what are _they _doing here?" asked the young Phantomhive, gesturing to the two shinigami behind her.

"Uh, well, you see, I think I remember most of who I am, and-" however she was cut off by her brother's death scythe nearly missing her shoulder as it whizzed toward Sebastian, who dodged it with ease.

"You did this!" screamed William, rage evident on his features.

"WILL! DON'T HURT MY BASSY!" wailed Grell, jumping over to the butler.

The butler's eyes narrowed, "As much as I would like to deny your claim, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," he said, shoving the red head out of the way and into a nearby light post.

William pulled his sister over and pointed to the mark on her neck, "Explain this!" he spat, glaring at the demon butler.

Sebastian sighed and gave a small chuckle, "Spears, I'm not the demon responsible for that," he explained, examining the circular, pentagram, "although I do admit, I'm curious as to whose it is. It's appears to be the mark of a demon's contract, but I'm not sure why this girl has it."

"_This girl_, is my sister, and I swear if I found out you had anything to do with it, I will hunt you down and kill you," Will grated, grabbing front of the butler's jacket threateningly.

"Ah, so you have a sister…Well then, it's a pleasure to finally be acquainted, Miss Stephanie Spears," Sebastian smirked.

Will pushed the black clad demon away and fixated his eyes on his sister, before noticing something.

"Stephanie, why aren't you wearing glasses?" Will asked, "And… what happened to your eyes?"

Grell had finally gotten up from the ground and bounded over to the group.

"What's wrong with them?" she asked, panicking.

"They're not normal," her brother stated simply.

"He's right," came the voice of Grell, who peered closely at her face, "Usually, shinigami have green and yellow irises, but now, yours are just a dark green color," he finished, sounding confused.

Stephanie felt a little afraid and anxious under their scrutiny. She was overwhelmed with the flood of memories, but apparently, something was still missing. The part where she had acquired the strange mark, as well as the change in eye color.

Grell looked flabbergasted while William just gave her a hard stare.

"Stephanie. What happened to you?" he asked, his voice taking on a deadly serious tone, as his hands defensively gripped what she now recognized as his death scythe.

"Will! Please, I'm telling you I still don't remember what happened that night!"

He closed his eyes, and she could see he was deep in thought. He brought his hand up to adjust his glasses before speaking.

"That night, you went missing… you were assigned to reap the soul of Emily Jameson in this park. It was supposed to be an easy task. She was going to be murdered, by a young police officer, Philip Morris." He said, coaxingly.

She thought long and hard until an image began to form in her mind…

* * *

_-~ Flashback ~-_

"Oh please Will, this'll be an easy one. I'll be home before dinner!" Stephanie winked confidently at her older brother, twirling her modified death scythe in her fingers.

"Just be careful," he said, without even glancing up from his paperwork, "Sutcliff won't be going with you on this one."

"Will I told you, I can handle something like this on my own," she groaned. He always treated her like this. She would forever be the younger sister.

"Well, don't forget to bring your paperwork back to me as soon as you return," he said.

She smiled, recognizing his masked concern for her well-being. Although others might not pick up on it, this was Will's way of saying, '_I'm going to be worried about you so come see me first thing when you get back so I know you're safe._' Sure, it could be annoying, but Stephanie was glad to be so close to her older sibling, even if their relationship seemed a little cold.

She saluted him before exiting his office and entering the hallway.

A voice stopped her before she had the chance to leave the office and she turned around, smiling.

"Hey Steph, good luck today! I heard ya got your own mission eh?" the blond haired reaper laughed at her, smiling playfully.

"That's right Ronald! Maybe if you're good and get all of your paperwork done, I'll tell you all about it when I get back," she smirked at her fellow reaper. He was only about a year or two younger than her, but she was exceptionally skilled for her age, therefore allowing her to go on missions early on in her career. Ronald Knox was still stuck with a menial desk job.

"Yeah, yeah. I just might take you up on that offer, wanna go out for drinks later?"

She checked the clock and pretended to think about it, "Hm, well since this job shouldn't take me too long…why not?"

"Cool, see ya later Steph!" he waved as she walked out the door, eager to get this mission underway.

* * *

She double checked the location in her notebook, before closing it and slipping it into her jacket pocket.

She looked around and confirmed, _Yep, this is the place. Should be any second now… Ah! Right there!_

Stephanie gave a gleeful expression as her mark in question came into view.

Emily Jameson was young, but was about to be the unfortunate victim of a serial killer, running amok in London. Sure, it was a shame that Stephanie couldn't really save the girl, but this was the way things were supposed to pan out, and her job was to collect the cinematic record and review it.

Without fail, the killer, Philip Morris, quickly came into view, overpowering the woman, who looked to be pleading for her life. From her place in the tree above, Stephanie couldn't hear all of what was being said, but the Morris guy rambled on about something for quite a long time before he finally stabbed the woman, and got up to leave her to die.

_Alright, this is it_, Stephanie thought, removing her ornate death scythe from the sheath hidden underneath her coat. The blades snapped apart to act as two separate daggers which she could use to efficiently and quickly reap souls. Just as she was about to jump down, something blocked Emily Jameson from view, and she hesitated.

_Could Philip have returned for something? _She wondered, however this figure was different. He was taller, and dressed differently. _What the heck is he doing here?_

_Maybe it's the girl's lover? _ She wondered, but stopped when she saw the man's face. It was obvious from the start that he wasn't human. His eyes glowed a fierce pink color and she could see definite fangs emerge in his mouth.

_Demon!_

Stephanie growled inwardly and remembered what her brother had reinforced in her thoughts from the beginning of her training.

'_Never trust a demon. They are vile, disgusting creatures that steal souls and upset the order of things. They get in the way of the job we must do, and shake the equilibrium of life.'_

She could almost hear his words echoing in her mind, and an intense anger bubbled inside of her.

She couldn't let this demon rob her of her first solo mission_. I have to impress Will and the others! I'll show them that I can do my job, regardless of who gets in the way!_ She thought before jumping out of the tree and slamming into the creatures' back.

Stephanie was unsure of how exactly she should go about handling this demon, but it seemed better to strike first and ask questions later. She got up off of his back quickly and readied herself in a defensive stance.

"What do you think you're doing, _demon_!?" she questioned with a glare, as he got up and brushed himself off like nothing had happened.

He surveyed her until his eyes met hers and narrowed.

"My, a shinigami. How interesting. Have I upset your work?" he said emotionlessly, yet his tone seemed to taunt her, and a hint of a smirk tugged at his left lip.

"You vermin are always getting in the way of things. Emily Jameson's soul is mine!" she growled venomously before slashing at him with a blade in each hand.

He dodged the attack easily and continued, "Ah, so you're just doing your job. Although, we have a problem you see…" he trailed off, before suddenly disappearing.

Stephanie was momentarily caught off guard due to his speed and she jumped when she heard a voice in her ear.

"…I'm quite hungry." He finished.

Stephanie knew he was behind her, and could barely react before he hit the back of her knees and took hold of her upper body, slamming her into the ground forcefully. She closed her eyes in pain momentarily. It wasn't easy to kill a shinigami, let alone hurt them, but this demon was strong. As she opened her eyes she was met with a pair of glowing pink orbs staring at her upside down, from the spot where she had fallen. He face was right above hers.

Her wrists tightened around the blade handles, which remained in her grasp, and from her position, if she thrusted them up quickly enough, she might have a chance to get him right in his skull. It was her only option.

"I came here for that woman's soul," he stated, "yet…yours seems so much more…intoxicating," he finished, smirking down at her from above.

Stephanie felt a moment of panic set in. Could demons even consume the soul of a shinigami? She supposed so, as far as she knew she wasn't soulless. She started to move, but he was quicker, almost like lightning.

His own wrists snatched hers before the blades could reach him and as they both struggled for power, she could feel him winning, twisting her own hands around.

She gasped in shock as both of her blades were instantly stabbed into her own chest from the demon kneeling over her, as his wrists held hers, forcing them all the way into the ground beneath her.

She gritted her teeth in both pain and frustration while sensing his face nearing hers.

"Shhh, the pain will only be temporary," he whispered, something about his calm voice lulled her into a trance.

She registered what was happening, but her body just wouldn't move, not to mention, she was currently pinned by her own weapons. He let her wrists drop to the ground by her side before doing something rather unexpected.

His soft lips were on top of hers in a matter of seconds, roughly kissing her with an unbridled passion.

It felt unlike anything Stephanie had ever experienced before. Of course there were tons of single guys in the shinigami world, god knows she had been to enough of Ronald's parties to know that, but now, as she was slowly dying, the only thing she could think about was how she had never been kissed like this in her life before.

The demon above her, her supposed enemy, was kissing her? It seemed unreal, that is, until she felt a searing pain in the side of her neck, and almost as quickly as it came, it was gone.

She felt nothing. A slow darkness was enveloping her and she barely felt the demon pull the blades from her chest and return them to the sheath on her belt.

He stood up, taking one last look at her, and leaned down again, his hand stroking the side of her neck.

"We'll meet again," was all she could hear before the darkness took a hold of her and she closed her eyes.

_**Note: Pics of death scythe on my profile.**_


	15. Chapter 14

**_Sooo, I just realized I never uploaded the final chapter. For some reason I had it in my mind that I did. I apologize for keeping you waiting and as a treat I think I'll publish the short prequel that I wrote tonight. It's only 5 chapters and is mainly fluff/filler for a little of Stephanie's background. Idk what this chapter is, sorry if it's cliche, but I had no original way to end it. Anyway, I want to sincerely thank you for reading my story and sticking with me! :)_**

_Chapter 14_

Stephanie recounted what had happened to the group, leaving out the bits about the kiss and her own personal thoughts and feelings. It was a little embarrassing, and she wouldn't dare let William know that she had actually enjoyed it.

The first one to speak was Sebastian.

"I have a theory, which I believe contains answers for the many questions that I've had about you during the time that you've stayed with us Miss Spears," he said rather cryptically.

"At first glance, when I saw the demonic symbol on your neck, I was under the impression that you'd contracted with a demon. Naturally, a demon's symbol is the most obvious giveaway, however, there was something about you that seemed different. On top of that, humans don't usually forget the basis of their contract, although I considered the fact that the demon had somehow broken it and fled, erasing your memories in the process."

He paused momentarily, before continuing, "Now it is clear to me. That mark is not representative of a contract. It is a symbol of possession and bondage."

The group immediately became uncomfortable and the atmosphere turned to one of awkwardness in a matter of seconds. Stephanie blushed with her eyes wide and Ciel looked down at the ground. Grell's eyes lit up, god knows what kinky thoughts were running through his mind, and William narrowed his eyes before breaking the tension.

"What the hell does that mean Michaelis!?"

"Forgive me. The mark simply represents the connection and bond you have to the demon who gave it to you. Like a birthmark, it must have appeared after he changed you," he said, glancing at Stephanie, who was unable to read any expression on his face.

"What do you mean, changed?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

"You're a demon, Miss Spears."

* * *

A long silence hovered over the odd group, composed of the two shinigamis, a single human, and two demons, one of which, had just become aware of said status.

"I knew you weren't human from the moment we found you lying in this park," Sebastian mused, "However, I wasn't aware that you were previously a shinigami. I have absolutely no hint as to why a demon would target someone like you," he finished.

Grell came over to her and wrapped her into a bone-crushing hug, wailing, "Ohh Stephanie! I'll still love you, even now! This doesn't change a thing, okay?"

She looked at her friend, and her work partner sadly, before risking a glance at her brother.

He had a stoic look plastered on his face, his eyes locked on an undefineable spot in the dirt.

Finally, he seemed to snap out of his trance and looked at her.

Time seemed to stop as she tried to gauge her brother's thoughts and emotions that must be swimming inside of his head, like they were in her own.

When he finally spoke, his voice was laced with darkness and vengeance, "I will find the bastard that did this, and when I do, I'll kill him," he said, burning with anger.

She felt a stray tear escape her eye as she looked at him, knowing how hard it must be. She had become the very thing he hated, that all shinigamis hated. Vermin, disgusting, a vile creature that just got in the way of reaping souls. _'A demon'_, a voice in her mind echoed.

Will clenched his fists and looked down, "You won't be able to come back with us to the shinigami realm… I'm so sorry Stephanie."

She wiped away some tears as she approached her brother, hesitantly, unsure of how he would react, in light of recent discoveries.

He lifted his head to look at her and threw his arms around her, which startled her slightly.

The siblings shared an embrace while the rest of the group turned away to offer them some privacy.

"Young master, I'll go ready the carriage," said Sebastian as he made his way to the edge of the park, Ciel following behind him.

"Wait…" William said quickly, before releasing Stephanie to look the other demon in the eye.

Sebastian paused and gave a perplexed look at the reaper.

"I- I want you to look out for her… please," he struggled to get out, gritting his teeth a little in the process.

The demon smirked, enjoying the discomfort that the reaper was having in asking a favor from him.

"I can't always be there now, to protect her, and you're the closest person to her that will be able to help her," he said, sighing as he looked at the demon seriously.

"Yes, of course," smiled Sebastian, before turning around and retreating back the way they had come.

Will turned back to his sister in front of him, and the words he spoke were ones of heartbreak, "I know we're on seemingly different sides now, but… I want you to know that you'll always be my little sister. I love you," he said, before giving her one last hug.

"I love you too William," she replied.

"What? No love for poor Grell?" whined the red head as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, nuzzling his face into her shoulder.

She laughed grateful for the lighter change in mood, "Of course I'll miss you too Sutcliff. You were a great partner, even if you got sidetracked too much," she said, playfully punching him in the shoulder.

"Oh, and stay away from Bassy, you know he's mine!" whispered Grell jokingly in her ear.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Grell. Come visit me sometime?" she asked, having grown attached to the man over the years.

"Anytime dear, as long as I get to see Bassy in return!" he swooned, before being yanked off of her.

"Let's go Sutcliff, this is going to cost us both a lot of overtime," he said giving Stephanie the slightest of smiles.

Grell whined as the two jumped off into the darkness, leaving her alone in the park.

* * *

Stephanie sighed and turned back and glanced at Philip's lifeless body, mauled by her own animalistic rage.

"So this is what I've become…" she said quietly to herself, while a hand placed itself on her left shoulder.

Sebastian stared over her at the body and stood beside her.

"I've seen worse, milady," he said jokingly, as she turned her head to the side to face him.

"You've done quite well for your first soul," he admitted, while turning her away from the sight and leading her down the pathway to the edge of the park.

"If you wish, I can offer you my services should you need any help when you encounter the demon that sired you. I personally haven't ever found the desire to change someone, human or shinigami, to a demon. It is curious to me that you have become such a target. I will admit however, there is something about you that intrigues me as well. You are quite the puzzle, Miss Spears," he finished, sliding the last 's' in her name off of his tongue like smooth velvet.

Stephanie felt safe in the demon butler's presence and graciously accepted his hand that helped her into the carriage, where Ciel was already fast asleep.

She had no idea which direction her life would take now, and despite getting much of her previous memories back, there were still unanswered questions at the back of her mind. For now, it looked as if Sebastian was her only link to being able to live successfully in this world, since she could not travel back to the shinigami realm with her brother.

_What will happen now?_ She questioned to herself.

Time will only tell…


End file.
